Baker, a Mandan member, discusses his tribe's sophisticated pre-contact society—their earth lodge architecture, agricultural practices, and elaborate trade networks along the Missouri River. He describes Mandan kinship systems, gender roles where women held property and authority, and spiritual beliefs. Baker also addresses the devastating smallpox epidemics of 1781, the arrival of Lewis and Clark in 1804–05, and ongoing efforts to preserve the endangered Mandan language and cultural traditions.